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Member |
Can anyone advise/recommend a light, standard pressure .38 Special load for casual range use in my 1972 Colt Detective Special? I'm not interested in a carry/defensive round, but rather something which will be easy on the revolver. I have a box of Winchester 110 gr. Silvertip JHP's which chart at around 945 fps at the muzzle. Am I correct in thinking the old tried & true 158 gr. lead semi-wad cutter at 755 fps would be easier on the action than the faster Silvertip load? Thanks in advance for your reply. | ||
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| That's just the Flomax talking  |
For casual range use, I suggest the tried and true 38 Special round nose. 38 wadcutters would be very gentle, but harder to find and probably more expensive. | |||
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| Big Stack |
This sounds like a job for basic 148 grain full wadcutter standard velocity target rounds (made by anyone and everyone.) Edit: Garry and I hit the button at the same time. But wadcutter loads shouldn't be hard to find. Here's link to one, which has links to more. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1000192977 | |||
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| Member |
Yeah 158 grain normal .38 specials should be fine in it. | |||
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| Member |
If you can find it: Federal Nyclad. Excellent load for snubs. End of Earth: 2 Miles Upper Peninsula: 4 Miles | |||
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| Freethinker |
Light and gentle? 148 grain (full) wadcutters. ► 6.0/94.0 “I can’t give you brains, but I can give you a diploma.” — The Wizard of Oz | |||
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Member |
Good timing. I recently acquired a colt army special made in 1921. Was looking for the same info. Thanks! Regards, P. | |||
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| I'm not laughing WITH you  |
For Cowboy Action Shooting I load 125gr bullets with 2.7 grains of clays. My Detective Special likes them very much. Rolan Kraps SASS Regulator Gainesville, Georgia. NRA Range Safety Officer NRA Certified Instructor - Pistol / Personal Protection Inside the Home | |||
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| His diet consists of black coffee, and sarcasm.  |
As long as carry/defense isn't a concern, the full wadcutter target load is fine. (Not because of an ineffective bullet shape, but because they are loaded very light. Also, wadcutters are great for the "in-the-gun" load, but terrible for reloading.) Realistically, even the standard 158 lead round nose is "gentle" enough. I have heard that the 130 FMJ is pretty mild, but jacketed bullets may not be as "gentle" to the bore as lead. "The Almighty, He put some livin' things on this earth so a man can eat." - Festus Haggen, Gunsmoke | |||
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| Big Stack |
I think Nyclad as a product is long gone. But there are now a good number of powder/polymer coated bullet rounds out there. Some reloaders DIY the coating.
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